J. R. R. Tolkien famously described The Lord of the Rings as “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work.” But while these words have been widely and enthusiastically quoted in Catholic studies of Tolkien’s legendarium, readers have not always paid sufficient attention to what Catholic and religious would have meant to Tolkien himself. To do so is to misunderstand the full import of the phrase.

From his childhood as an altar server and “junior inmate” of the Birmingham Oratory to daily Mass with his children as an adult, Tolkien’s Catholic religion was, at its heart, a liturgical affair. To be religious and Catholic in the Tolkienian sense is to be rooted in the prayer of the Church.

The High Hallow: Tolkien’s Liturgical Imagination takes this claim seriously: The Lord of the Rings (and Tolkien’s myth as a whole) is the product of an imagination seeped in liturgical prayer. In the course of its argument, the Ben Reinhard examines the liturgical pieties that governed Tolkien’s life from childhood to old age, the ways in which the liturgy colored Tolkien’s theory of myth and fantasy, and the alleged absence of religion in Middle-earth. Most importantly, he shows how the plots, themes, and characters of Tolkien’s beloved works can be traced to the patterns of the Church’s liturgical year.

Ben Reinhard is Professor of English at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he teaches courses in medieval literature, mythology, and the Inklings.  A graduate of the Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame, he has written articles and essays for a wide range of scholarly and popular publications, and his translation of Beowulf was published in 2022. He lives in southeast Ohio with his wife and five children, where they attempt to live a sanctified and orderly life in a chaotic and disintegrated world, fighting the long defeat.

“Liturgy and literature are inextricably interwoven in the great works of Christendom. We think of Dante’s descent into hell on Good Friday and his emergence into the light of the sun at the foot of Mount Purgatory on Easter Sunday. We think of the connection to All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Advent, and Christmas in the quest of Sir Gawain. And we think, or we should think, of the liturgical elements of Tolkien’s epic. Ben Reinhard’s examination of Tolkien’s sacramental imagination enables us to see the world of Tolkien in this penetrating liturgical light.”

Joseph Pearce, Author of Bilbo’s Journey: Discovering the Hidden Meaning of The Hobbit

“In moving our consideration of the symbolic power of Tolkien’s work from stale discussions of allegory to the vast and underappreciated domain of typology, Reinhard enables readers to imitate what they read and become what they imitate. Reinhard demonstrates a deep knowledge of and affection for the ‘First Liturgical Movement’ of the early twentieth century, recovering the intellectual context that fed Tolkien’s piety and inspires the new liturgical movements of the present century.”

Erik Z. D. Ellis, Assistant Professor of Classical Education, University of Dallas

“Reinhard’s understanding of the role of imagination in creative writing allows him to take Tolkien’s disavowal of allegory seriously while revealing many rich connections between stories and liturgy that Tolkien himself must have enjoyed. Christian readers will realize explicitly why reading Tolkien’s works can enrich their own experience of sacred liturgy, while non-Christian readers will get a sense of the great mysteries that contribute to the power of the works they love.”

Andrew T. Seeley, President, The Boethius Institute

“In The High Hallow, Tolkien expert Ben Reinhard highlights specifically how the Catholic liturgy shaped Tolkien’s entire fantasy imagination. While some secular critics argue that The Lord of the Rings is not only non-liturgical but non-religious, Reinhard deftly shows that Tolkien’s lifelong participation in the Catholic liturgy was an essential component in making The Lord of the Rings one of history’s greatest works of literature.”

Eric Sammons, Editor-in-Chief, Crisis Magazine

“In The High Hallow, Dr. Ben Reinhard explores the way in which the Catholic liturgy shaped J. R. R. Tolkien’s imagination, affecting so much of his work, especially his mythology of Middle Earth. This book is full of insights and does a better job of getting inside Tolkien’s imagination and inspiration than any other work I’ve read. Clearly and masterfully written, this book is an absolute pleasure to read.”

Jeffrey L. Morrow, Professor of Theology, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Author of Seeking the Lord of Middle Earth

“The High Hallow is a thoroughly researched and well-argued exploration of Tolkien’s liturgical imagination that provides a rich and original contribution to the ‘religious turn’ in Tolkien studies. Ben Reinhard demonstrates insightfully that Tolkien’s participation in the sacraments imbued his thought and art with a sacramental shape that gave his legendarium a theodramatic quality with both eternal and timely appeal.”

Adam Schwartz, Author of The Third Spring: G. K. Chesterton, Graham Greene, Christopher Dawson, and David Jones